Method of dyeing package yarn



Nov. 21, 1939. 'H. s. DRUM ET AL 2,180,896

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- Filed Aug. 24, 19:58 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v 7 )V/LL/HM 67.0025 o/v. m4 L/flM HJfxHE/MER 'ATTomTET' Nov. 21. 1939.

- H. S. DRUM ET AL METHOD OF DYEING PACKAGE YARN 2 She ets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 24, 1938 I N YEN T0555 liq/w? Y 5. DKUM. 41. 07 01.30175 o/v.

Patented Nov. 21, 1939 METHOD OF DYEJNG PACKAGE YARN Harry 8 Drum and William C. Dodson, Abington, and William H. Jaxheimer, Philadelphia, Pa.,

assignors to Smith, Drum and Company, lhiladelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania I Application August 24, 1938, Serial No. 226,430 7 3 Claims; (01. 8-155) arranged that many. .of the packages are either wholly or partly above other packages. By reason of this arrangement surplus liquid remaining in the packages after a dyeing or other treating operation seeps out of the packages, due to gravity, and as a result the lower packages receive this drip either on the top or sides according as to whether located directly or partially below the superposed package. This drip appears in the finished package in the form of spots or uneven areas as compared to the body of the yarn, and is highly undesirable. Also in this type. of apparatus it frequently happns that av batch of yarn package isless in number than the normal capacity of the carrier and hence certainpackage supporting spindles remain vacant during the treating operation. This means that a greater quantity of liquid flows out of the vacant spindles than passes through the yarn packages so that the time factor for treatment becomes uncertain and leads to poor results. One attempt to correct this has been to provide closed tubes designed tobe fitted over any vacant spindles of the carriers so that these particular spindles do not pass any liquid at all during the treating operation. This expedient is objectioncording to requirements, that is the direction of able because when dyeing only a partial lot there is a tendency to drive a greater quantity of liquor through each package than when dyeing a full lot. Therefore the results from one batch to another cannot be the same since the conditions have been changed.

Some of the objects of the present invention are to provide an improved method and apparatus for washing yarn in package form; to pro- In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents a plan of one form of apparatus embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same, the vat being broken away to illustrate interior parts thereof; Fig. 3 repre- 6 sents a detail in elevation of the package carrier, certain of the parts being shown in section; Fig 4 represents a side elevation of one of the spindles with its attached mounting nut in section; Fig. 5 represents a plan of the spindle as shown 19 in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 represents a longitudinal section of a novel control sleeve; Fig. 7 represents a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 represents a sectional detail of a spindle with its assembled parts; Fig. 9 represents a section on line 9-9. of 15 Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 represents. a detail in section of the expansion tank and control outlet therefrom.

Referring to the drawings one form of dyeing apparatus is shown whichis equipped with one 20' embodiment of the present invention. This apparatus consists of a dye vat Ill associated with its customary dye supply and expansiontank II and liquid circulating system including a pump l2, operating motor i3, four way valve l4 and 25 circulating pipes l5 and Ho. As here shown, a carrier [6 of the tubular typeserves to mount the packages ll of yarn in a superposed relation at opposite sides thereof. The pipe l5 leads into the vat III while the pipe l5a communicates with 30 the interior' of the carrier l6. By shifting the four way valve II, the direction of the circulation through the carriercan be controlled acprovided, The wound tubes l8 are held in place by cap nuts 2| threaded respectively to coupling 45.

members 22 which are welded or otherwisemade test to the several spindles 20. The spindles 20 are fixed to the carrier l6 by externally threaded nuts 23 which are fast'to-the respective mounting ends ofthe spindles 20. One feature of the pres ent invention relates to'the novel means whereby these nuts. 23 become permanently attached to the relatively thin angular plates which form the spindles 20. In this connection it should be noted that each spindle 20 is formed of two through the packages.

metal angle strips 24 placed back to back and spot welded together to form the aforesaid cross shaped spindle. While the nut 23 is driven on the end of the spindle with, a tight flt it is obviously insecure for the purpose intended because the thin edges of the strips entering the nut do not allow sufiicient area for welding the parts together. In order therefore to properly join the parts together, the nut 23 is driven on the end of the spindle until its outer end is flush with the end of the spindle. The nut 23 as prepared for assembly is counter-bored with a taper so that an annular pocket 25 encircles the end of the spindle 20. This pocket 25 as well as the four segment spaces of the spindle 20 are filled with metal by a welding process so that a solid plug 26 not only closes the channels of the spindle but integrally connects the nut 23 and the side faces of the strips 24. with the parts so united, four holes 21 are drilled through the weldplug' 26 in alinement respectively with the strip channels so that endwise flow of liquid is permitted in a normal manner.

When all of the spindles 20 are filled with yarn packages, the machine is operating at maximum efllciency and. a known quantity of liquid traverses each package in a given time. If, however, thenumber of packages to be treated is less than the capacity of the machine, there will-be just as many vacant spindles as there are less packages. Obviously operating the-machine on these conditions varies the quantity of liquid passing An attempt to overcome this uncertainty has been made by providing closure sleeves which are designed to fit over the spindles and seal all such against any circulation of liquid. This proposal introduces a factor just as disadvantageous as the free flow method because now a greater quantity of liquid at increased pressure traverses the packages. This problem has been solved in the present instance by providing control sleeves 23 of a diameter to fit over the spindles 20 and of such a length as will entirely enclose the spindle. Each of the sleeves 28 is provided at a suitable location with ports 30 to allow liquid to enter and leave the spindles in a regulated amount. As shown each sleeve has eight of these ports 30 arranged circumferentially adjacent to an end of the sleeve, and the size and number of the ports is such as will permit a predetermined amount of the treating liquid to circulate therethrough. This is to .so control the circulation that .the absence of any packages upon the carrier will not in any way influence the quantity of liquid traversing the packages in a given time. In other words bysubstituting a port controlled sleeve 28 in place of a package has no efiect upon the packages being treated and each is treated just as though all the carrier spindles 20 actually mounted apackage. In order to prevent the dyed goods from beco'm-r ing spotted by drip from one package superposed with respect to another, the present invention includes a novel method and one form of apparavtus for carrying out that method whereby the packages are back washed in clear water after the dyeing operation. By this method the dyed packages are maintained in a submerged condition until all of the surplus dye has beeh removed I and therefore at theendof the washing operation and with the vat empty all "drippings from one package to another will be of clear liquid with no dye therein. While the method of dyeing fol-' lows generally the known steps, an additional step has been added wherein the dye liquor and any foreign matter is floated out of the packages and the dyeing vat by way of the opposite end of the vat from which it enters and is replaced by clear water. This water supply rises about the packages, in'a direction reverse to any drip, and leaves the upper end of the vat. Thus the first liquid leaving the vat will be the colored dye solution, then a stream of gradually clearing water and dye mixture, and finally substantially only clear water. When this stage is reached the flow can be stopped, the vat drained, and the packages removed in uniformly dyed condition.

An apparatus for carrying out this step in the method consists of a discharge pipe 3| connected, in the present instance, to a T 32 in the cover 33 of the vat and which T 32 also serves as a connection for the overflow'pipe 34 leading to the exapnsion tank I I. A shut-oil valve 35 is located in the pipe 34 and a control valve 36 is located in the discharge pipe 3|. During a dyeing operation the valve 36 is closed and the valve 35 is opened, but when the packages are to be back washed the valve 35 is closed and the valve 35 is' open. The discharge pipe 3| may lead to a drain valve 31 or any other convenient waste" is by the same means used for circulating the dye liquor into the vat l0 and the carrier l6, consisting of a pipe 4| leading from the return of the four way valve l4 to the suction-side-of the pump |2. This pipe 4| passes beneath the expansion tank II where it communicates with a liit valve 42 which is arranged to be opened or closed according to requirements by a hand rod 43 in an accessible location. During the normal dyeing operation, with sufficient dye liquor in the vat III, the lift valve 42 is closed so that the liquor is recirculated through the pump l3. When the backwashing step is to take place the lift valve 42 is opened and clear water from the expansion tank enters the system to cause the dye liquor to overflow through the pipe 3| to the drain 31. i

This occurs because the shut-off valve 35 in the pipe 34 has been closed, and the control valve 36 opened.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the novel method and apparatus devised by these applicants have completely overcome spotty and uneven dyeing results, particularly those occurring as an aftermath of draining dye liquor from a. vat. Also by the present invention the prior handicaps attending the dyeing of a quantity of packages less in number than the capacity of the carrier have been overcome. Thus by the use of closure tubes having a predetermined quantity flow therethrough, it is possible to dye a small number of packages with the same assurance as to finish as would be obtained with a carrier filled to capacity with packages.

Having thus described our invention, we claimr 1. Additional steps in the method of dyeing packages of yarn arranged one above another in a dye vat, which consists in maintaining the packages submerged in dye liqu0r,'stopping the supply of dye liquor, circulating water through the packages and into the vat to mix with and Y 2,180,896 a dye vat, which consists in maintaining the packages Submerged in dye liquor, stopping the supply of dye liquor, introducing water into the packages to flow outward therethroug h into the vat to cause a flow reverse to gravity, maintainhis such flow until substantially all dye liquor is dischargedand the overflow becomes clear water, and then draining the vat.

3. Additional steps in the method ofdyeing packages of yarn, which consists in circulating dye liquor through and about the yarn packages in a vat until the yarn has reached the completely dyed condition, introducing clear water into the dye liquor and discontinuing the supply of dye liquor, causing the water to circulate outwardly through the packages into the vat and upwardly through the vat, maintaining such circulation'of water until the discharge from the vat is substantially clear water. and then draining the vat. HARRY S. DRUM. WILLIAM C. DODSON. WILLIAM H. JAXHEIMER 

